Magyar Egyház, 1958 (37. évfolyam, 1-12. szám)
1958-10-01 / 10. szám
MAGYAR EGYHÁZ 9 the superstition that has plagued Hungarian Roman Catholicism which in time made the Virgin Mary the Mediatrix of all graces and relegated God’s Divine Son into a secondary role in the great drama of redemption. Our Magyar forbears brought this minority consciousness with them to the United States. They had no illusion of power, real or imaginary. While the old line American Protestant congregations dreamed of the good old days, the Hungarian Reformed brethren realistically appraised their situation in this new land. No hopes of grandeur for them, only hard work in proclaiming the Evangel among their people. And, in spite of many shortcomings, they succeeded in making the Church a living institution, free of any pretension, proud to be able to carry on its labors in this wonderful land. American Protestantism has in the meantime come in for a rude awakening. Its majority status no longer exists. The relatively small number of men who worship regularly has led church leaders to wonder what has happened. The Churches have paid the price for being so easily shaped by the shiftingsands of public opinion. By the time wine was replaced at Communion by grape juice to appease the WCTU warriors it was already evident that Protestant leadership was unable to stand its own ground. Men have deserted the churches in large numbers precisely because the churches have deserted the men, they have become anemic and aimless. There is one way out of this dilemma. The Protestantism of America must recognize what Hungarian Protestants have always known. True Christians are always a minority. They must always zealously guard their faith and its rites from the hands of do gooders whose aims may be noble but who would shape the Church to fit their needs. Being the creative minority is a gift from God. Serving in this capacity brings out the best in a people. It is with gratitude to the Almighty that we recognize the fact that only through persecution and peril was our Reformed faith able to set God’s sovereign power before the eyes of man. May God grant that all who serve him in this land may accept their role not as a self satisfied majority but rather as creative minority, striving always to serve Him, even as He came to serve His own.--------------o-------------From the Bishop's Office of the Hungarian Reformed Church in America Dear Brethren: As you know our beloved Hungarian Reformed Church in America has grown tremendously out of the grace of God during the last 34 years. In place of the original seven churches, which formed the Free Magyar Reformed Church in 1924, today 26 fully independent and 8 mission congregations serve in this great country. The many sacrifices and services of three decades were blessed by God Almighty. Today our Church is a member of the World Council of Churches, one of the 171 independent Christian denominations of this world church body. God has called us to a great service. This service and commitment we have to fulfill at the cost of every sacrifice. The right way to thank God for His mercies is not only by preserving the faith of our fathers, but also by strengthening it. We have to strengthen our denomination by organizing new congregations. There is a tremendous need for our help. First of all, we have to turn to those Hungarian Reformed Christians in this country who are living without adequate ministry to their spiritual need. Then, we have our commitments on the field of foreign missions too. It is, however, impossible to meet these needs without powerful missionary Programm and without an effective mission fund. Recognizing this great Christian Calling our Constitutional Assembly and the Bishop’s Council have decided to establish a Board of Missions and worked out a detailed program for missionary work. This program was printed in Magyar Church, in the May and August issues, respectively. Let us briefly survey our commitments: We are aiding new congregations in Rochester-Syracuse, N. Y. by $1,200, Hollywood, California by $1,800, San Francisco, California by $600, Long Island, N. Y., by $600; we have also been called to minister to Hungarian Reformed people in Arizona, in Kansas, and in South America. Our commitments mean a minimum amount of $4,500 annually. This amount is needed already this year. The Bishop’s Council has appointed the last Sunday in October as Mission Sunday and in every congregation of our denomination there will be a guest preacher with a message on our responsibility for missions. The Church Councils are requested to send in the collections of that Sunday into the Mission Fund. For this purpose we enclose to this issue an offering envelope for the members of our churches. Put your donation in it and bring it to your local church or send it to the Treasurer of the Mission Board: Mr. Albert St. Miklóssy, 23 Evergreen Avenue, Fords, New Jersey. Other American denominations ask an annual $8- 10 extra donation from each of their members to finance their missionary program. We ask you to give according to your own judgement and love for the Lord Jesus Christ. You can always measure your faith by the fulfillments of your Christian duty and love. We hope you will not be indifferent to this great cause. May Almighty God bless all the members of our Churches richly. In behalf of the Mission Board of the Hungarian Reformed Chinch in America: Very Rev. Stephen Szőke Rev. Aladar Komjáthy Dr. Andrew Harsanyi Albert St. Miklossy Stephen Wargo Bishop Zoltán Beky ■o-------------Bishop Béky, A. J. Duch, Honorary Chief Elder, Governor Meyner and Mrs. Meyner at the Bishop’s testimonial dinner.
